Google AMP Framework

The AMP framework is a framework developed as a collaboration between Google and other collaborators such as Twitter, Pinterest, LinkedIn and WordPress. Different companies have been a part of the collaboration at different times. The Framework is controlled by Google. The goal is to help developers and publishers to create websites that are highly suitable for mobile devices.

What does AMP stands for?

AMP is an abbreviation for Accelerated Mobile Pages.

What does the framework do?

The framework is designed to create version of your web pages that are optimized for mobile units. It is designed to do this without forcing you to manual code a new version of each page. The AMP page is present besides the regular page and mobile devices can choose to display the optimized AMP version instead of the regular version of the web page. Search engines can chose to link to the AMP version in their mobile search results.

AMP pages usually loads in less then one second and are on average ten times smaller than the regular version of the website. This helps keep stress of mobile networks and promote faster speeds for every one. It also allow you to browser 10 times as many pages on the same data allowance.

Do i have to use AMP on my mobile pages?

No. The AMP framework is a framework that you are free to use if you so desire but you do not have to use it. You do not get any special benefits in the search engines from doing so and you can reach the same or even better results by create your own mobile version of the pages.

Should I use AMP on my mobile pages?

It can be a good idea to use AMP but it all depends on how well designed your website is to start with. A website that already have very light weight mobile pages does not necessarily benefit from the framework. Highly optimized pages might actually take a performance reduction if you switch to AMP.

However most websites can benefit from adding AMP. This is especially true if you haven’t already added any technique to optimize the mobile version of your website.

I recommend that you try AMP and see if you like it. See what it can do for you. From there you can decide whether you should use it or not.

Is AMP only for mobile pages?

Yes. AMP is designed to be used only on mobile devices.

How much does it cost to use AMP?

AMP is free to use. You can visit the website and start building AMP pages right now.

How does the browser know if it should display an AMP version of the page?

You add a tag to the header of your website that tells the browser (and search engines) that there is an AMP version of the page available and where that page is located. The browser reads this tag and decides which version to use.

Can I take a look at the AMP version on my computer?

Yes of course. Simply browse to the url that the AMP version of the page is using. This is usually the same URL as the page you are currently browsing with /amp added at the end. (Do not add the slash if the URL already contains an ending slash.)

Are there any problems with AMP?

All frameworks have benefits and drawbacks. This is true for AMP as well. Common critique against AMP includes.

Poor usability. The low number of tools and programming languages that can be used on AMP pages make it hard or impossible to retain certain functions on the mobile version of the page.

The project is controlled by Google. Some would prefer that the framework was set free outside the control of any one company. Google to not consider themselves to control the project as it is open source.

Scams: The technology can be and have been used to provide fraudulent financial services to investors in a way that is not possible outside the AMP framework.

The network makes phishing easy. It is easy to create identical pages to the real ones.